Shifting U.S. Military Spending To Development, Implementing Tax On ‘Global Rich’ Could Improve Child Health, Education

Jun 01, 2016

Project Syndicate: Financing Health and Education for All
Jeffrey D. Sachs, professor and director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and director of the U.N. Sustainable Development Solutions Network

“…[M]assive suffering could be ended with a modest amount of global funding. … [A] shift in focus from war to development [funding] would greatly bolster U.S. and global security … A second option would tax the global rich, who often hide their money in tax havens in the Caribbean and elsewhere. … Both solutions would be feasible and relatively straightforward to implement. They would underpin the new global commitments contained in the [Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)]. … Our world is immensely wealthy and could easily finance a healthy start in life for every child on the planet through global funds for health and education. A small shift of funds from wasteful U.S. military spending, or a very small levy on tax havens’ deposits — or similar measures to make the super-rich pay their way — could quickly and dramatically improve poor children’s life chances and make the world vastly fairer, safer, and more productive. There is no excuse for delay” (5/31).